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KnitPicks is having a wish list giveaway tomorrow! Anyone who goes here and fills up their wish list has a chance to win it all, up to $150! I just finished filling my wish list cart, and I hope they pick me!

WIP Wednesday - Veteran's Day Edition

First of all, I would like to say thank you to all the service men and woman out there in the military today, and also the veterans. My grandfather was a veteran during Korea, and both my brother and my step-sister are Marines serving currently, plus our nephew is a recent graduate from the National Guard, so we have a lot of military family, and they deserve more than a few days a year honoring the sacrifices they have made throughout history and are still making today. Thank you all for keeping us free.


Miss H did her own modeling for me this week, both because I wanted to make sure she could get the sweater on when I was finished with it, and because she's very anxious to see it completed. I started the decreases for the back armholes and shoulders Monday evening, so hopefully the rest of the back and front will go quickly, and I can move on to sleeves.

I really like knitting sweaters, especially in the round. I'm debating as to whether or not a sweater or two of my own should be in the works next.

Would you like to show of your work in progress this week? Join me!

Menu Plan Monday - No Stove or Oven Edition!

From time to time in our lives, we find ourselves facing particularly difficult or interesting challenges. This week I am facing one such challenge.

For the past few months, my oven has been unpredictable at best, and nothing but a blinking, beeping clock at worst. Then, last week, I accidentally boiled over a pot on the stovetop and there was a loud "pop", and the thing hasn't worked since. Every time I try to turn the breaker back on to it, it throws the breaker again. This has happened before, and it takes about a week or two to dry out, then it starts working again.

In the meantime, the troops must be fed, and eating dinner out every night is out of the question for a family our size. Plus I really enjoy cooking and I get bored easily with the same old thing all the time. I devised a menu based on crock-pot and microwave cooking to get us through until our appliances are back in order. I usually don't share my menus every week, because honestly, I think my meal plans are pretty boring, unless I want to showcase what you can do with a special ingredient like game meats or pumpkins. However, there may be someone out there who faces this same situation in the future, and I would like to offer help and a plan to get through it when you really just want to sit in the kitchen floor and cry.

Breakfasts for the week - Oatmeal (steel cut oats in the crock pot) x 2, Breakfast Bake, Grits, Western Omelet, Egg and Cheese Bake, Fruit Fancy, Milk, Juice, etc.

Monday - Red Beans and Rice, Cornbread (the cornbread turned out very moist, but it had no crust, so be aware)
Tuesday - Roast Chicken and Potatoes, Butter Beans (I omitted the beer in the roast chicken recipe, and roasted the potatoes with it. Butter beans were done in the microwave.)
Wednesday - Potato Soup
Thursday - Lasagne, Salad
Friday - Ham, Greens, Pralined Sweet Potatoes
Saturday - Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans
Sunday - Bbq Pork Sandwiches, Baked beans, Corn

I will try to get links up to all the recipes later today. Check out Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday.

Fire, by Kristin Cashore

Fire, by Kristin Cashore


I read and thoroughly enjoyed Graceling a few months ago, and I have eagerly awaiting both Fire and Bitterblue since then. I got a copy of Fire from my library about two weeks ago, brought it home, and it sat on my bookshelf while I finished C.S. Lewis's science fiction series.

Fire is another easy read, in true Kristin Cashore style, it swiftly whisks you away to a land where monsters are real, people can read minds, and no one is really who or what you think they are. The basic storyline is wonderful, and Cashore's writing style is fun to read and engaging.

A word of caution to parents about Cashore's books. They are written for young adults, but I won't be allowing my daughter to read Graceling until she's at least sixteen, and she may have to wait even longer for Fire. There is a good deal more promiscuity in Fire than there was in Graceling, and it seems that almost everyone in the book is either sleeping their way around the castle, or is an illegitimate child. Graceling just barely touched on unmarried sex, but Fire dives right in. Cashore has dealt with this issue as delicately as possible, but it doesn't seem to add much to the storyline to me. Also, there is a situation in the book where 'herbs could be taken at the beginning of a pregnancy', with the goal being to end the pregnancy. This is talked about as a positive thing, but is "too late" to actually be done.

Weekend Plans

I'm feeling energetic this Saturday morning (even though I had hoped to sleep in until 8:00, and the kids got me up at 7:15). Mr. H. is gone hunting until tomorrow, and other than a 10:30 soccer game today, we are left to our own devices. I like weekends like that.

With that in mind, my to do list for this weekend is as follows:

• Clean out the refrigerator/freezer and take stock of leftovers for future meals.
• Do laundry and ironing for next week. (Mr. H.'s work clothes)
• Clean out car and vacuum.
• Clean out garden for replanting.
• Clean out front flower beds and plant bulbs.
• Work on Miss H's sweater (at the soccer game and in the evening)

What are your plans for this fine fall weekend?

Miss H.'s birthday, WIP Wednesday, and other stuff

Today is Miss H's birthday! I now have a twelve-year-old in the house! Mr. H. and I have explained to each of the children that they're only allowed to age until nine, and from then on they must go backwards, but so far she has stubbornly continued on. It's serious disobedience, I'm telling you.

As you can see, Miss H's sweater isn't nearly finished, but I told her, and she's ok with getting it whenever I get done. I have 2 inches to go on the body, plus the arms, so maybe another week, if I get in plenty of knitting time, which I haven't lately.

We don't go overboard about birthdays (or any holiday, really) around here. Instead, we choose to focus on the child or our family instead of "stuff". The birthday boy/girl gets to choose a menu for the day (since they're in school breakfast and dinner), whatever type of cake they want, ice cream, etc. They get a few gifts, but we try to keep things moderate. Since I wasn't able to finish Miss H's sweater, I hope to have time to do a little sewing this afternoon, and make her a couple of things with this cute fabric. While also getting her cake done, the house cleaned, and her big birthday supper cooked for tonight.

What are you working on this week? Join me for WIP Wednesday, so I can cheer you on too!

Books I read in October, and my November reading list.

I only read three books this whole month:

Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis
Perelandra, C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

These books are not easy reads. The language takes a little getting used to (kinda like Tolkein), each book starts out slow and builds until you can't put it down, so there are several chapters you just have to slog through until the 'good stuff' starts happening, but when it does...whoa. Good stuff...meaty, if you're a Christian, but if you're not, it's still some good reading, and these books will make you sit and think about exactly what it is that's important to you, and what kind of life you're living.

Since my reading list is so pitiful, I'm going to include what the children have been reading to beef it up a little.

Eldest, Christopher Paolini (Miss H.)
Brisingr, Christopher Paolini (Miss H.)

Justin Morgan Had a Horse (T.H.)
Deep Trouble I and II, R.L. Stine (T.H.)
The Blob That Ate Everything, R.L. Stine (T.H.)
How to Kill a Monster, R.L. Stine (T.H.)
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle (T.H.)
A Wind in the Door, Madeleine L'Engle (T.H.)

T and I have a deal about the R.L. Stine. I read these books as a kid, so I know they're funny, creepy, fun, and easy. Way too easy for a kid that can read and understand 7th grade material, but he loves them, and they are a fast and easy way to rack up AR points at school, which I can appreciate. I don't have a problem with him reading these books, as long as he mixes them in with some more challenging stuff as well, so our deal is one R.L. Stine book for every harder book he reads. That felt reasonable to both of us, and he gets the fun stuff while I get to gently slip in great books that I think are worthy of his time and attention as well...like Madeleine L'Engle. This isn't something I worry about with Miss H, because the easy stuff gets on her nerves and she quickly moves on to something challenging on her own.

For November, I think I'm going to stay on my little Sci-Fi/Fantasy kick. I'm enjoying the opportunity to lay aside mental reminders about lunch money for school, spelling lists, errand lists, schedules, and calendars, and escape to a different world or even universe each night, even if it's only for an hour. With that in mind, here's my reading list for November:

Fire, Kristin Cashore (I've had this on my shelf for almost two weeks, but I've been finishing Lewis's books first.)
A Gate at the Stairs, Lorrie Moore (I pulled my 50 pages card 5 pages short. I just couldn't get into this book.)
The Duggar's: 20 and Counting, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Dune, Frank Herbert
Foundation, Isaac Asimov

I think sticking to five titles is safe for now, although with Miss H's birthday and Thanksgiving (meaning more school events) this month, it will probably be a miracle if I finish them all. For the children:

Brisingr (Miss H, I don't think she's quite done with this one yet)
A Wrinkle in Time (T got her interested, so now she wants to read them too!)
A Wind in the Door (Miss H and T needs to finish)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Miss H and T)
Many Waters (Miss H and T)
An Acceptable Time (Me, Miss H and T...somehow I missed this book in the series)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (T. H.)

5 days to go!

I'm beginning to fear that I might not finish on time, or that Miss H might be receiving a Gryffindor sweater vest instead of a sweater on Wednesday. I tried to knit a little every night this week, but some days are just a bust, you know?

For instance, Monday I was running errands and catching up on weekend cleaning and laundry, Tuesday Miss H. had an accident at school that required five stitches in her forehead, so the ER visit took up a good portion of that afternoon and evening, Wednesday we were at the zoo with the little boys, Thursday I got to knit a little, but Friday I spent most of the day at various schools assisting with parties, helping Mr. H. get his hunting gear gathered and loaded up, helping Miss H. get her stuff packed for her pre-birthday weekend at Mimi's, etc. This whole week sorta went downhill on me. Plus it rained and rained and rained this week, so getting out to run errands or do anything took twice as long as normal. Our area has received over 20 inches of rain this month!

I have 9 1/2 inches done on the sweater body, but I hope to have it finished by tomorrow evening, then I can concentrate on sleeves, seaming, and blocking. I had originally decided to do the sleeves flat, but I can knit so much faster in the round, I'll probably do them that way, and then just wing it on the construction.

No WIP Wednesday this week.

Of course, since today is Thursday, you already knew that. I was gone all day yesterday to the zoo with my Kindergarten boys, and I forgot it was Wednesday. (Again! What is it about Wednesdays that just make them slip my mind?)

Anyway, I have lots of laundry and housecleaning to catch up on from being gone all day yesterday; but hopefully I'll have a progress post on Miss H's sweater this evening.

Have a nice day wherever you are, 'cause we're certainly not having a nice one here. Lots of rain and gray-ness, with a chance of tornadoes...lovely.

9 days to go!

No, I didn't drop off the face of the earth this past week; I just basically had to shut everything down but the life-sustaining basics (food, homework, and clean socks) to get through a tremendously busy week. We had two soccer practices, a week full of tests (for all grades!), and all kinds of special stuff going on at the two younger boys' school, so I was meeting myself coming and going by Friday.



Friday was Clown Day at the lower school, so I spent a good portion of Thursday making clown costumes for B and E. I think they turned out very cute. The one below is my favorite, because the yellow fabric is a vintage candy print. Click to enlarge, it's very cute, and I was super-careful to lay out my pattern pieces just right, so I would have lots of scraps to make something for me with later.

Papa Bear is once again modeling Miss H's birthday sweater, although I think I might have to find a larger model soon...the sweater is getting too long for him. I've gotten 8 1/2 inches done on the main body, so 3 1/2 inches to go, plus the decreases for the armholes and the neckband, then the two sleeves, blocking, seaming, and finishing...with 9 days to go.

I think I'll make it.